Costa Rica - La Fortuna (part 2)

A huge reason we had such a good time was the guide pictured with us above. His name was Albero and he made us laugh all day from jokes or by his playful antics. Probably our favorite day guide we've ever had!

This is part 2 of what will be 4 tabblos that will share with you our May 2008 trip to Costa Rica. As the others are completed I will add links to them right here so check back!

 

La Paz -|-  La Fortuna  -|-  Montezuma  -|-  Pacuara Rafting

La Fortuna / Tabacon Grand Spa Resort

 

Our second part of the trip was a 3 night stay in La Fortuna at the base of the Arenal Volcano at the Tabacon Grand Spa Thermal Resort. This is a 5 star resort who built it's reputation on a world class spa and an incredible hot springs oasis full of natural spring pools and soothing waterfalls in an exotic setting.

 

I must say though we weren't too impressed with the hotel overall. We probably wouldn't stay there again based on two things. Most importantly it was about a 10 minute drive from the central part of La Fortuna and really that is where we found ourselves each day, since we didn't have a car rental it made for some headaches. Secondly it's claim to fame, the hot springs is actually not on the main hotel property. It's either a short walk down the road or a quick shuttle van ride. Just made for some inconvenience we didn't expect.

 

That all said, we LOVED the hot springs area. As you can see in the pictures the grounds are so beautiful and peaceful. Better yet just about all water areas were open to patrons to soak in the natural hot water or sit under the waterfalls to get an incredible hot massage. We came every night to relax our muscles under the waterfalls and then capped things off in the swim up pool bar for pina coladas.

Zipline Tour

 

On our first full day in La Fortuna we went on a morning zipline tour with Arenal Mundo Aventura which we felt was the best because it had 10 ziplines which ranged between 200 - 800 meters in length. For you Americans back home 800 meters is over 2,600 feet! So it had the adrenaline punch, but it also was in a beautiful setting as we zipped past multiple waterfalls!It was a definitely a thrill-filled tour!

Notice the view on the zipline to the right of the waterfall. To see video of me doing the zipline CLICK HERE. Also notice the guide's face below as Shan crash lands right into him. Great landing honey!

After the ziplines were done we headed back to base on horseback. This was the first time I've ever ridden a horse. We also stopped at some camp of indigenous tribes to learn about their culture and maybe buy stuff the make.  Look below and ask yourself this simple question. Has anyone ever looked so cool mounted on a horse? Yeah, I think we all know the answer to that!

After the Zipline tour was over we got a ride into town and had lunch with some friends Jason & Andrea (shown on left) we made on the tour. Super nice couple from Chicago that happened to be staying at our hotel. They had an awesome outlook on life, would have loved to talk to them more! After lunch they were kind enough to drop us off in the middle of La Fortuna town square where we were to be picked up for our next tour. Here are some pictures of the main town area.

In the afternoon we did a hanging bridges tour with a personal guide. It's a hiking tour through the tree tops near La Fortuna. It was a bit lame as the guide wasn't a ton of fun or that knowledgeable, but we did see a viper snake, a turkey-like bird, and some crazy ant species.

After the hanging bridges hike we headed back to town to eat a place our guides had all recommended call Don Rufinos. The food was fantastic here, including this appetizer plate of cooked veggies which is a popular dish in La Fortuna we noticed!

Cayoning

 

On the next day in La Fortuna we did Waterfall Repelling with Desafio Tours. This may have been our favorite single day tour we've ever done. Repelling was an adrenaline filled blast, the scenery amazing, & guides were hilarious.

As can clearly be seen here the tour was more than just repelling down the side of waterfalls. It was also hiking through canyons, around streams, and occasionally right into them!

On our last day before heading to the airport we made a stop at La Fortuna Waterfall. It was quite a hike down and back up but well worth the effort.

Salto & Soda

 

After the waterfall we went to take pics of a local spot we enjoyed the previous day called Salto. We went there after hearing how it was a favorite spot for locals and we heard right. We went on a Sunday afternoon and there had to be about 200 people there and for most of the 3+ hours we spent there we were the only non-locals but we were accepted with open arms. It's a place to hang with friends, swim, cliff jump, and use the tarzan swing to jump in from 25 feet high!

On the 15 min walk back to town it POURED rain so we ran into this "Soda Stand" and had a fruit drink and chatted with a couple from Switzerland until the rain stopped. A neat unexpected experience.

Yes this is the airport for La Fortuna. Yes its basically an open air hut. Yes that is our plane. Yes there were only 5 people on the flight including us and the crew. Yes the views from the plane were incredible from above. Including the active Arenal Volcano and the entire town of La Fortuna.

We had 3 stops on the flight to Montezuma. Punta Islita was one of them. Below is the airport for it. No joke!